All profiles must contribute to the greater good of socially-fueled search.

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In the wake of its “graph search” announcement, Facebook removed the ability for users to opt out of appearing in search results on the site, as noted by Quartz. Because graph search relies on the content of profiles to fuel its results, the move will allow more comprehensive returns on searches but may violate the privacy of users who previously relied on that feature.

Before Facebook’s changes to its privacy policy and the implementation of graph search, users were able to keep their profiles—even their most basic information—out of the searches of non-friends. This setting made it impossible for non-friends to locate a Facebook profile unless the hidden person reached out first.

Such profiles would hinder the progress of graph search, which relies on profile content to cull information (for instance, “women who like the TV show Homeland” or “Thai restaurants my friends have been to.”) Facebook asserts that a “single-digit percentage” of profiles had previously opted out of being searchable. As Quartz points out, even one percent is now 10 million people, so the change does affect a large swath of users.

Now, Facebook has pushed everyone into the limelight. We’ve noted that a couple of profiles, formerly non-searchable, now appear in search results. Presumably, once graph search is turned on for their friends, the information in their formerly hidden profiles will be tallied along with the rest.

Update: A representative for Facebook points out that Facebook retired the ability to hide profiles from search results in December 2012, and that a profile hidden from search results did not prevent others from navigating to it by other means (e.g., through a mutual friend's friend listings).

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Casey Johnston
Casey Johnston is the former Culture Editor at Ars Technica, and now does the occasional freelance story. She graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Applied Physics. Twitter@caseyjohnston